LECTURES

HIDDEN GEM: HISTORIC MYRTLE BAPTIST CHURCH AND NEWTON’S AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY For more than 135 years, Myrtle Baptist Church has been the focal point of Newton's thriving African-American community. The church provides a religious and social center that has sustained this community through many challenges, including racial bias, housing discrimination and the coming of the Massachusetts Turnpike. This presentation will include a showing of the documentary Myrtle Baptist Church: Pillar of the Community, which recounts the church's remarkable history. The evening will also feature a panel which includes church members and Newton residents who lived through the difficult times and saw the church emerge stronger than ever. Co-sponsored by the Newton Human Rights Commission and Historic Newton. At the Newton Free Library, Homer Street, Newton.